Three Great Examples of Mobile Research in Action

In order to tailor their offerings to rapidly changing consumer preferences and to maintain an edge, organisations are increasingly looking for new ways to tap into real-time customer insights. While staying ahead of this trend is creating new challenges for researchers the advent of mobile technology is also opening up new opportunities for savvy companies.

Mobile research isn’t limited to sending out SMS surveys – the most forward-thinking organisations are taking mobile-based research technology to new heights with some innovative projects. From Facebook and QR code integration to track which products customers ‘like’ most, to advanced location-based mobile feedback, these examples should provide inspiration for any organisation wanting to dig into insightful and timely consumer intelligence.

In this edition of Mobile Matters, we take a look at three innovative case studies of mobile research in action – be sure to have a read through and see if any of these could be implemented in your own company’s research efforts.

1. Out-of-box experiences

You’ve likely seen them before: user-generated videos of customers unboxing their new gadgets live on camera and recording the experience. These first impressions a customer has of a new product can offer immensely valuable insight for a business – but is there a cohesive way of collecting this feedback?

‘Out-of-box’ experience surveys are a great way for companies to gauge these reactions. A simple card placed within the box, complete with a QR code that instantly opens up the survey, means you give customers the opportunity to log their initial product experiences and feedback at the vital stage of their interaction with you.

It’s like being right there by the customer’s side as they open their purchase and express their raw and authentic impressions of the initial experience. This is as close and as timely as it gets – no more waiting for the customer to log on days later to provide feedback and ideas to improve, by which time their recall may not be as sharp.

2. QR code and social media integration

Social media is now an integral part of many consumers’ personal lives – so why not use the opportunity to gain consumer insight in an engaging manner?

The ease of doing so was demonstrated in a well-executed marketing campaign by fashion label Diesel. The company took the Facebook concept of ‘liking’ straight into the real world, setting up targeted QR codes next to each of their denim products. A shopper in a physical Diesel store could scan the code of a product they liked, and in the process, instantly share their preferences on their Facebook wall.

Not only is this a great way to spread rapid word-of-mouth marketing through social media, it’s a powerful method of collecting real-time, in-store feedback on customer preferences, providing the ability to determine which products are the most popular at any given time.

3. Location-based feedback

Location-based mobile feedback technologies are on the rise, offering businesses an innovative way to measure customer feedback based on their physical locations. According to ABI Research, the market for retail indoor location technologies is set to reach AUD$5.4 billion by 2018.

Technologies such as this can assist companies that want more in-the-moment feedback. In the example mentioned above, location-based feedback could act as an extension to Diesel’s retail QR code campaign. For example, triggering a mobile survey about a reward program member’s in-store experiences as soon as they are 25 metres or more away from your store.

The Coca-Cola Village Amusement Park in Israel showed how effective this can be, especially for younger demographics. Visitors to the park were issued with personalised RFID (Radio-frequency identification) bracelets that were embedded with their Facebook details. Each ride at the park had a reader which visitors simply had to swipe with their bracelets to express their ‘like’ for the particular amusement, with their preferences again being broadcast on Facebook.

With RFID technologies growing in uptake and the use of products such as Apple’s new internet connected watch set to explode, this sort of real-time customer insight could be worth looking into – imagine the possible applications if it is transferred into retail stores.

Mobile technologies are evolving at faster rates than ever before, introducing countless new opportunities for organisations to conduct mobile research with their customers. As these examples above demonstrate, they can be a great way to tap into your customers’ insights in real-time, gaining incredibly rich, accurate and relevant information.

Happy surveying!

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